Production printing systems for high-volume printing typically utilize a production printer that marks a continuous-form print media (e.g., a web of paper) with a wet colorant (e.g., an aqueous ink). After marking the print media, a dryer downstream from the production printer is used to dry the colorant. One such dryer is a microwave dryer that uses microwave energy to heat the colorant to cause a liquid portion of the colorant to evaporate, thereby fixing the colorant to the print media.
A typical type of microwave dryer includes a single microwave source that directs microwave energy down a long axis of a waveguide which extends along a travel path of the print media. As the print media traverses the long axis of the waveguide, the wet colorants applied to the continuous-form print media are exposed to the microwave energy. The electromagnetic energy is uniformly distributed over the print media. However, the single microwave energy source is limited in its ability to efficiently adapt to a range of different drying requirements.